The present invention is directed to bicycle brake devices and, more particularly, to bicycle brake devices that are used to brake a hub of a bicycle wheel.
Bicycle braking devices currently available include rim braking devices and hub braking devices. Rim braking devices include cantilever brakes or caliper brakes that brake the rim of the wheel. Hub braking devices brake the wheel hub, and they include drum brakes, band brakes, roller brakes and the like. A hub brake brakes the hub of the wheel, so it is able to provide braking even if the wheel rim is warped.
A drum brake such as a roller brake effects braking by means of friction created when a brake shoe contacts the inside peripheral face of a tubular brake drum that rotates in unison with the wheel hub. A band brake effects braking by means of friction created when a brake belt contacts the outer peripheral face of a brake drum. In a roller brake, rollers spaced apart in the circumferential direction are displaced diametrically outward by a cam in order to move a brake shoe against the inner peripheral face of the brake drum.
In brake devices of this kind, there is provided a brake actuator having an actuating arm for moving the brake shoe or brake band into contact with the brake drum, wherein the basal end of the brake arm is rotatably mounted to a fastening bracket. The inner cable of a Bowden brake cable is attached to the distal end of the actuating arm so that pulling and releasing the inner cable relative to the outer cable of the Bowden cable rotates the actuating arm. The outer cable of the Bowden cable usually is attached to the bicycle frame or to the fastening bracket.
The basal portion of the actuating arm typically is housed within a casing formed by the fastening bracket and a hub cap that attaches to the fastening bracket. The actuating arm extends through a slot formed in a side surface of the casing, and the inner cable of the Bowden cable is attached to the distal end of the actuating arm. Unfortunately, the extending portion of the actuating arm forms a projection that can snag on obstacles encountered while riding the bicycle. Furthermore, the inner cable of the Bowden cable usually is attached to the actuating arm using a nut and bolt assembly such that the nut and bolt must be disassembled whenever the cable is to be removed from the actuating arm. Not only does this increases the labor required to remove the bicycle wheel, but the brakes must be readjusted every time the inner cable is reattached.